John Deere LT155 Starter overun.

[JBASport]

That is exactly what you should see
battery voltage at the solenoid trigger wire to trip the solenoid which closes the connection between the heavy cables to the starter .
Now for test 2
Get a short piece of wire and jump from the battery lead on the top of the solenoid to the trigger wire terminal you just checked
Every time the wire touches the terminal the solenoid should trip & the starter spin
This is assuming there is only 1 small wire at the base of the solenoid
If there are 2 then the other one must be ground
let us know what happens

Hi, I have just tried that. The battery was connected normally. Negative to earth, Positive to one side of the solenoid, the other connection direct to the starter. I left the earth wire connected to the spade connection on the solenoid and left the trigger wire disconnected. I then connected a single wire from the positive terminal on the battery and touched the spade connection on the solenoid where the trigger wire used to be connected. Nothing seemed to happen. Infact the only way I can get the starter to turn is by shorting the positive terminals on the solenoid. I assume that probaly indicates the solenoid is being the cuplrit? Thanks, Terry

 

[bertsmobile1]

Did you check the black wire for a ground connection ?
It comes as a shock to many that both sides of a circuit the + & the - can be switched and in this case the black ( ground ) wire is switched from open circuit to ground by the PTO switch

Blades off , ground
Blades on , no ground

The logic behind this is of course to prevent Mr Brain Dead standing next to the mower with his toes under the deck kitting the key switch & removing a toe or two .

 

[JBASport]

Did you check the black wire for a ground connection ?
It comes as a shock to many that both sides of a circuit the + & the - can be switched and in this case the black ( ground ) wire is switched from open circuit to ground by the PTO switch

Blades off , ground
Blades on , no ground

The logic behind this is of course to prevent Mr Brain Dead standing next to the mower with his toes under the deck kitting the key switch & removing a toe or two .

I will try that, makes sense. Once again, thanks for your help. Terry